Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

कुंडं तत्रैव संस्थाप्य लिंगस्नपनकर्मणे । नाद्यापि स त्यजेत्काशीं ध्यायंल्लिंगं तथैव हि

Transliteration

kuṃḍaṃ tatraiva saṃsthāpya liṃgasnapanakarmaṇe | nādyāpi sa tyajetkāśīṃ dhyāyaṃlliṃgaṃ tathaiva hi

Translation

Dort selbst errichtete er einen Teich für den heiligen Ritus der Waschung des Liṅga; und noch heute verlässt er Kāśī nicht, stets über eben diesen Liṅga meditierend.

Word by Word

• कुण्डम्: a basin/pit (kuṇḍa)
• कुण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: there)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• संस्थाप्य: having established
• संस्थाप्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund)

• लिङ्गस्नपनकर्मणे: for the rite of bathing the liṅga
• लिङ्गस्नपनकर्मणे: Sampradana (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग + स्नपन + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष-प्राय (लिङ्गस्य स्नपनं कर्म) प्रयोजनार्थे

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• अद्यापि: even now
• अद्यापि: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: even now/still)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्यजेत्: would abandon/should leave
• त्यजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ध्यायन्: meditating
• ध्यायन्: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: thus/in that manner)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Reasoning/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चय (particle: for/indeed)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ghaṃṭākarṇeśvara-kunda (associated)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred pond (kunda) beside the shrine is established for bathing the liṅga; Ghaṃṭākarṇa remains in Kāśī, absorbed in meditation on the liṅga, with water vessels and rippling kunda surface reflecting lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Kuṇḍa (sacred tank)
• Liṅga
• Liṅga-snapana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained ritual devotion (liṅga-snāna) and meditation establish an unbroken bond with Kāśī and Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A kuṇḍa (sacred tank) associated with the liṅga in Kāśī—within the Ghaṃṭākarṇeśvara context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-snapana—ritual bathing/abhiṣeka of the Śiva-liṅga, supported by establishing a kuṇḍa.